Wishing
a very Happy Birthday to Navaneetham Chandrasekharan and all born on
1st February an auspicious month for the success of Techno, Politico,
Socio Transformation and Economic Emancipation Movement of DR BR
Ambedkar, Manyawar Kanshiram and Ms Mayawati of BSP!

May all be Happy, Well and Secure!!

May all live long!!!

May all have calm, quiet, alert, attentive and an Equanimity Mind with a Clear Understanding that everything is Changing!!!!

Mayawati said, we consider ourselves as a movement first and political party later.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3w6y1PNo78&list=RDX3w6y1PNo78#t=17

bahujan samaj party song mission 2017

Mayawati said, we consider ourselves as a movement first and political party later.

http://www.budsas.org/ebud/whatbudbeliev/229.htm

The Awakened One with Awareness had gone beyond all worldly affairs, but still gave advice on good government.

The
Awakened One with Awareness came from a warrior caste and was naturally
brought into association with kings, princes and ministers. Despite His
origin and association, He never resorted to the influence of political
power to introduce His teaching, nor allowed His Teaching to be misused
for gaining political power. But today, many politicians try to drag
the Awakened One with Awareness’s name into politics by introducing Him
as a communist, capitalist, or even an imperialist. They have forgotten
that the new political philosophy as we know it really developed in the
West long after the Buddha’s time. Those who try to make use of the good
name of the Buddha for their own personal advantage must remember that
the Buddha was the Supremely Awakened One who had gone beyond all
worldly concerns.

There
is an inherent problem of trying to intermingle religion with politics.
The basis of religion is morality, purity and faith, while that for
politics is power. In the course of history, religion has often been
used to give legitimacy to those in power and their exercise of that
power. Religion was used to justify wars and conquests, persecutions,
atrocities, rebellions, destruction of works of art and culture.

When
religion is used to pander to political whims, it has to forego its
high moral ideals and become debased by worldly political demands.

The
thrust of the Awakened One with Awareness Dhamma is not directed to the
creation of new political institutions and establishing political
arrangements. Basically, it seeks to approach the problems of society by
reforming the individuals constituting that society and by suggesting
some general principles through which the society can be guided towards
greater humanism, improved welfare of its members, and more equitable
sharing of resources.

There
is a limit to the extent to which a political system can safeguard the
happiness and prosperity of its people. No political system, no matter
how ideal it may appear to be, can bring about peace and happiness as
long as the people in the system are dominated by greed, hatred and
delusion. In addition, no matter what political system is adopted, there
are certain universal factors which the members of that society will
have to experience: the effects of good and bad Cause and Effect , the
lack of real satisfaction or everlasting happiness in the world
characterized by dukkha (unsatisfactoriness), anicca (impermanence), and
anatta (egolessness). To the Awakened One with Awareness, nowhere in
Samsara is there real freedom, not even in the heavens or the world of
Brahama.

Although
a good and just political system which guarantees basic human rights
and contains checks and balances to the use of power is an important
condition for a happy in society, people should not fritter away their
time by endlessly searching for the ultimate political system where men
can be completely free, because complete freedom cannot be found in any
system but only in minds which are free. To be free, people will have to
look within their own minds and work towards freeing themselves from
the chains of ignorance and craving. Freedom in the truest sense is only
possible when a person uses Dhamma to develop his character through
good speech and action and to train his mind so as to expand his mental
potential and achieve his ultimate aim of awakenment.

While
recognizing the usefulness of separating religion from politics and the
limitations of political systems in bringing about peace and happiness,
there are several aspects of the Awakened One with Awareness’s teaching
which have close correspondence to the political arrangements of the
present day. Firstly, the Awakened One with Awareness spoke about the
equality of all human beings long before Abraham Lincoln, and that
classes and castes are artificial barriers erected by society. The only
classification of human beings, according to the Buddha, is based on the
quality of their moral conduct. Secondly, the Awakened One with
Awareness encouraged the spirit of social -co-operation and active
participation in society. This spirit is actively promoted in the
political process of modern societies. Thirdly, since no one was
appointed as the Buddha’s successor, the members of the Order were to be
guided by the Dhamma and Vinaya, or in short, the Rule of Law. Until
today very member of the Sangha is to abide by the Rule of Law which
governs and guides their conduct.

Fourthly,
the Awakened One with Awareness encouraged the spirit of consultation
and the democratic process. This is shown within the community of the
Order in which all members have the right to decide on matters of
general concern. When a serious question arose demanding attention, the
issues were put before the monks and discussed in a manner similar to
the democratic parliamentary system used today. This self-governing
procedure may come as a surprise to many to learn that in the assemblies
of Awakened One with Awareness 2,500 years and more ago are to be found
the rudiments of the parliamentary practice of the present day. A
special officer similar to ‘Mr. Speaker’ was appointed to preserve the
dignity of the Parliamentary Chief Whip, was also appointed to see if
the quorum was secured. Matters were put forward in the form of a motion
which was open to discussion. In some cases it was done once, in others
three times, thus anticipating the practice of Parliament in requiring
that a bill be read a third time before it becomes law. If the
discussion showed a difference of opinion, it was to be settled by the
vote of the majority through balloting.

The
Awakened One with Awareness approach to political power is the
moralization and the responsible use of public power. The Awakened One
with Awareness preached non-violence and peace as a universal message.
He did not approve of violence or the destruction of life, and declared
that there is no such thing as a ‘just’ war. He taught: ‘The victor
breeds hatred, the defeated lives in misery. He who renounces both
victory and defeat is happy and peaceful.’ Not only did the Awakened One
with Awareness teach non-violence and peace, He was perhaps the first
and only religious teacher who went to the battlefield personally to
prevent the outbreak of a war. He diffused tension between the Sakyas
and the Koliyas who were about to wage war over the waters of Rohini. He
also dissuaded King Ajatasattu from attacking the Kingdom of the
Vajjis.

The
Awakened One with Awareness discussed the importance and the
prerequisites of a good government. He showed how the country could
become corrupt, degenerate and unhappy when the head of the government
becomes corrupt and unjust. He spoke against corruption and how a
government should act based on humanitarian principles.

The
Awakened One with Awareness once said, ‘When the ruler of a country is
just and good, the ministers become just and good; when the ministers
are just and good, the higher officials become just and good; when the
higher officials are just and good, the rank and file become just and
good; when the rank and file become just and good, the people become
just and good.’(Anguttara Nikaya)

In
the Cakkavatti Sihananda Sutta, the Awakened One with Awareness said
that immorality and crime, such as theft, falsehood, violence, hatred,
cruelty, could arise from poverty. Kings and governments may try to
suppress crime through punishment, but it is futile to eradicate crimes
through force.

In
the Kutadanta Sutta, the Awakened One with Awareness suggested economic
development instead of force to reduce crime. The government should use
the country’s resources to improve the economic conditions of the
country. It could embark on agricultural and rural development, provide
financial support to entrepreneurs and business, provide adequate wages
for workers to maintain a decent life with human dignity.

In
the Jataka, the Awakened One with Awareness had given to rules for Good
Government, known as ‘Dasa Raja Dharma’. These ten rules can be applied
even today by any government which wishes to rule the country
peacefully. The rules are as follows:

1) be liberal and avoid selfishness,

2) maintain a high moral character,

3) be prepared to sacrifice one’s own pleasure for the well-being of the subjects,

4) be honest and maintain absolute integrity,

5) be kind and gentle,

6) lead a simple life for the subjects to emulate,

7) be free from hatred of any kind,

8) exercise non-violence,

9) practise patience, and

10) respect public opinion to promote peace and harmony.

Regarding the behavior of rulers, He further advised:

-
A good ruler should act impartially and should not be biased and
discriminate between one particular group of subjects against another.

- A good ruler should not harbor any form of hatred against any of his subjects.

- A good ruler should show no fear whatsoever in the enforcement of the law, if it is justifiable.

-
A good ruler must possess a clear understanding of the law to be
enforced. It should not be enforced just because the ruler has the
authority to enforce the law. It must be done in a reasonable manner and
with common sense. — (Cakkavatti Sihananda Sutta)

In
the Milinda Panha,it is stated: ‘If a man, who is unfit, incompetent,
immoral, improper, unable and unworthy of kingship, has enthroned
himself a king or a ruler with great authority, he is subject to be
tortured‚ to be subject to a variety of punishment by the people,
because, being unfit and unworthy, he has placed himself unrighteously
in the seat of sovereignty. The ruler, like others who violate and
transgress moral codes and basic rules of all social laws of mankind, is
equally subject to punishment; and moreover, to be censured is the
ruler who conducts himself as a robber of the public.’ In a Jataka
story, it is mentioned that a ruler who punishes innocent people and
does not punish the culprit is not suitable to rule a country.

The
king always improves himself and carefully examines his own conduct in
deeds, words and thoughts, trying to discover and listen to public
opinion as to whether or not he had been guilty of any faults and
mistakes in ruling the kingdom. If it is found that he rules
unrighteously, the public will complain that they are ruined by the
wicked ruler with unjust treatment, punishment, taxation, or other
oppressions including corruption of any kind, and they will react
against him in one way or another. On the contrary, if he rules
righteously they will bless him: ‘Long live His Majesty.’ (Majjhima
Nikaya)

The
Awakened One with Awareness’s emphasis on the moral duty of a ruler to
use public power to improve the welfare of the people had inspired
Emperor Asoka in the Third Century B.C. to do likewise. Emperor Asoka, a
sparkling example of this principle, resolved to live according to and
preach the Dhamma and to serve his subjects and all humanity. He
declared his non-aggressive intentions to his neighbors, assuring them
of his goodwill and sending envoys to distant kings bearing his message
of peace and non-aggression. He promoted the energetic practice of the
socio-moral virtues of honesty, truthfulness, compassion, benevolence,
non-violence, considerate behavior towards all, non-extravagance,
non-acquisitiveness, and non-injury to animals. He encouraged religious
freedom and mutual respect for each other’s creed. He went on periodic
tours preaching the Dhamma to the rural people. He undertook works of
public utility, such as founding of hospitals for men and animals,
supplying of medicine, planting of roadside trees and groves, digging of
wells, and construction of watering sheds and rest houses. He expressly
forbade cruelty to animals.

Sometimes
the Awakened One with Awareness is said to be a social reformer. Among
other things, He condemned the caste system, recognized the equality of
people, spoke on the need to improve socio-economic conditions,
recognized the importance of a more equitable distribution of wealth
among the rich and the poor, raised the status of women, recommended the
incorporation of humanism in government and administration, and taught
that a society should not be run by greed but with consideration and
compassion for the people. Despite all these, His contribution to
mankind is much greater because He took off at a point which no other
social reformer before or ever since had done, that is, by going to the
deepest roots of human ill which are found in the human mind. It is only
in the human mind that true reform can be effected. Reforms imposed by
force upon the external world have a very short life because they have
no roots. But those reforms which spring as a result of the
transformation of man’s inner consciousness remain rooted. While their
branches spread outwards, they draw their nourishment from an unfailing
source — the subconscious imperatives of the life-stream itself. So
reforms come about when men’s minds have prepared the way for them, and
they live as long as men revitalize them out of their own love of truth,
justice and their fellow men.

The
doctrine preached by the Awakened One with Awareness is not one based
on ‘Political Philosophy’. Nor is it a doctrine that encourages men to
worldly pleasures. It sets out a way to attain Eternal Bliss as Final
Goal. In other words, its ultimate aim is to put an end to craving
(Tanha) that keeps them in bondage to this world. A stanza from the
Dhammapada best summarizes this statement: ‘The path that leads to
worldly gain is one, and the path that leads to Eternal Bliss as Final
Goal(by leading a religious life)is another.’

However,
this does not mean that Awakened One with Awareness cannot or should
not get involved in the political process, which is a social reality.
The lives of the members of a society are shaped by laws and
regulations, economic arrangements allowed within a country,
institutional arrangements, which are influenced by the political
arrangements of that society. Nevertheless, if a Buddhist wishes to be
involved in politics, he should not misuse religion to gain political
powers, nor is it advisable for those who have renounced the worldly
life to lead a pure, religious life to be actively involved in politics.